With ample rain and a great prescribed burn season by Forest Preserve and contract crews, the managed areas are looking fine, with spring wildflowers popping all over. You see change almost on a daily basis; first trout lily to bloom, first trillium, and so on. Most exciting!

Then you drive stretches of Kean Avenue, or La Grange Road, or anywhere the saws and loppers of restoration people have not yet advanced. You see the dreaded wall of brush that remains to test our resolve.

Our resolve has not faltered. Every time we go out we make an impact, however small. Each terrific volunteer increases that impact and we offer our the deepest appreciation to everyone who comes to one of our play dates (aka workdays). Thank you, thank you! Without you we're a handful of lonely, bewildered people wondering where to poke our thumbs in the dike.

Cap Sauers Moraines April 15,

Tug-of-war day at Cap. It seemed every bit of brush we cut was entangled with vines, sometimes grape, sometimes bittersweet. It made for a morning of vigorous pulling and hacking, trying to get the cut stuff to the fire. The occasional spot of mud made it more fun. That's my story...

Nature Walk with Palos Park Public Library April 18

Everything came together well for this event. Numerous wildflowers to view, a rain-free, comfortable morning, and an interesting group of patrons who came to walk. All we could ask for.

We look forward to May 16 and June 20 for the next two walks.

Wednesday April 19, Paddock Woods

The classic dine and dash.Our celebration lunch was cut short by a storm due at 1:00 that didn't hear the forecast and arrived early. Doug had the foresight to start warming the food much earlier than normal, so we still had a little) time to eat. Prior to lunch we cut a lot of honeysuckle and euonymus and burned two brush piles.

One first timer (Sarah), two second-timers (Oksana and Robert) and a third-timer (Diane) joined our regulars for the morning.